Finding the light

 The clocks went forward last weekend and it got me thinking about the importance of light. Even though the weather is firmly stuck in winter, the extra hour of light in the evening makes us look ahead to spring. Of course, light is of the utmost importance to photographers; the word photography means "writing with light" and the kind of images we take depend a lot on how much light is available. To quote National Geographic photographer, Joe McNally, "Available light is wonderful...when it's available!" His point was, you can't always rely on having enough light to take the picture you want, so you have to learn to supplement it with artificial light.

My little attic home studio is lacking in light. There is a skylight which shines beams of sunlight in the wrong places, depending on the time of day, and a modest gable window. My best asset is the low ceilings, which I have painted white. They are great for bouncing flash! Pointed at the ceiling, a flash becomes a soft, wide light. I have various cheap constant lights and a couple of flash modifiers but reflection works best for me in most cases. When coupled with a white backdrop, it easily produces enough light for a headshot. Proof, if you need it, that you don't need a lot of expensive equipment to produce a good, basic shot!

When shooting out of doors, the problem is often too much light rather than too little. Whether it's "Golden Hour" or High Noon, clients rarely pick a nice cloudy afternoon for their pictures. Photographing families means going with their schedule and making the best of the conditions. I avoid facing the clients towards the sun (squinty, watering eyes) and opt instead for some fill flash or a reflector. If it's a big group, open shade is a great asset, but trees and grass can cast a greenish hue.

What sets great photographers apart from the rest of us, is how they handle light.  It's not a skill they were born with, it is the result of endless practice and experimentation.  I spent an afternoon recently on a rainy, grey day, watching You Tube videos about my new flash and playing with the settings. It's the first flash I've owned with a wireless trigger, and off camera flash has been a steep learning curve for me! At least all this practice produced a new headshot for my social media! Stay tuned for more progress!